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One month in.

I have officially been in Lyon for one month now. It has been a month of firsts for me, all of which I will cherish and remember, even if they weren’t all positive. Amongst many other things I; flew solo for the first time; got my first apartment; bought my first non-smart-phone in four years and didn’t even care; saw Lyon; enjoyed wine; missed Canadian-sized coffee; swam in the Mediterranean Sea; shrunk a brand-new shirt in the dryer; ate foie-gras; went to Switzerland; attended French class in France..and the list could go on. It has already been quite the amazing experience, and I can’t wait to see what is in store for me in the next 85 days.

I can’t believe that there are only 85 days left to this adventure. Before leaving Canada, I made my mom and Ian a “Countdown Jar,” which contained 117 jelly beans, one for every day that I would be gone.

Countdown Jar

The idea is that they eat one candy a day so that they can watch the pile shrink until I get home. As long as they haven’t eaten too many or too few jelly beans, the jar should already be looking marginally emptier, and before any of us know it, it will be empty and I will be home! Which is why I must keep reminding myself to enjoy every second of my time here in France, even when I miss my parent’s cooking or my dog’s furry hugs. But with Ian here it feels like I am home again, so that has been a nice change of pace for my French lifestyle.

Ian arrived on Saturday, and I waited anxiously for him at the arrival gate from a very long day of travelling! We had a relaxing evening on Saturday and ventured around the city on Sunday, eating a picnic of fresh-from-the-market food at the Parc de la Tete D’or and touring around on the Velo-V bicycles that all around Lyon. He has been fighting off a bad cold for the past few days, so we have both been enjoying each other’s company from the comfort of my apartment, trying to get as much of our homework done before our big trip to Paris this weekend. I have been to Paris once before with my highschool, but Ian has never been. We are both very excited to see and taste all that Paris has to offer!

I will write all about it when we get back. I hope all is well with everyone wherever they may be,

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About Me – Siobhan Doody

I'm writing this blog to chronicle my experience as an exchange student living in Lyon, France. I am an English major at Carleton University, and will be entering my third year this fall. Yes, it's strange that I am an English student going to study in France, but I've always loved the allure of living in France, a country full of rich history, culinary acclaim, and fashion icons. Follow along as I discover France, Europe, and maybe a bit of myself. xox, B.